star

noun, often attributive \ ˈstär \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of star

1 a : a natural luminous body visible in the sky especially at night

b : a self-luminous gaseous spheroidal celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions

2 a (1) : a planet or a configuration of the planets that is held in astrology to influence one's destiny or fortune —usually used in plural

(2) : a waxing or waning fortune or fame

her star was rising

b obsolete : destiny

3 a : a conventional figure with five or more points that represents a star; especially : asterisk

b : an often star-shaped ornament or medal worn as a badge of honor, authority, or rank or as the insignia of an order

c : one of a group of conventional stars used to place something in a scale of value

4 : something resembling a star

was hit on the head and saw stars

5 a : the principal member of a theatrical or operatic company who usually plays the chief roles

b : a highly publicized theatrical or motion-picture performer

c : an outstandingly talented performer

a track star

d : a person who is preeminent in a particular field

—

starless

play \ˈstär-ləs\ adjective

—

starlike

play \ˈstär-ˌlīk\ adjective

See star defined for English-language learners

See star defined for kids

Examples of star in a Sentence

They gazed up at the stars.
There are billions of stars in the universe.
I'm glad we didn't use the tent. It's so much nicer to sleep outside under the stars.
The restaurant was awarded four stars for excellence.
Critics give the movie three stars.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

This doesn’t change the Bulls’ plan to sign the former Simeon High star and No. 2 pick in the 2014 draft.

— k.c. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls working to sign restricted free agent Jabari Parker to offer sheet," 14 July 2018
Brown, who is considering more than 20 scholarship offers, said his tour included a film session with Mack, who explained his vision for the Lee High star as a college player.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball target Kobe Brown calls campus visit 'amazing'," 13 July 2018
The former UW Badgers stars and current NFL players took time away from football (and quietly donating money) to film the commercials at their alma mater, Pewaukee High School.

— lainey seyler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "All three Watt brothers filmed Gatorade commercials with their dad at Pewaukee High School, and it's pretty funny," 13 July 2018
Fox Observatory Come and gaze at the stars shortly after sunset.

— mary lou cruz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Sunrise area events July 18-28," 13 July 2018
Graham also said her client is no longer certain the NFL star was involved in the attack.

— CBS News, "LeSean McCoy's ex-girlfriend suspected NFL star was involved in her attack, 911 call reveals," 13 July 2018
The shorts, covered in silver studs along the backside with thigh-skimming fringe, were an attention-grabbing addition to an otherwise straightforward outfit, a fact the star highlighted with a cheeky Instagram update.

— janelle okwodu, Vogue, "Beyoncé Has Found Summer’s Perfect Cut-Offs," 12 July 2018
Unfortunately for the young Penske star, someone stole his pen late that Sunday afternoon and flipped the script on him.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar in Toronto: 'Eh Team' returns home; Conor Daly returns to field," 12 July 2018
The Indians’ homegrown stars include Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "The State of the Royals, Part 1 of 2: How did they get here?," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'star.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of star

Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra; akin to Old High German sterno star, Latin stella, Greek astēr, astron

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

star Synonyms

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

star

verb

Definition of star

starred; starring

transitive verb

1 : to sprinkle or adorn with stars

2 a : to mark with a star as being preeminent

b : to mark with an asterisk

3 : to feature in the most prominent or important role

the movie stars a famous stage personality

intransitive verb

1 : to play the most prominent or important role

2 : to perform outstandingly

See star defined for English-language learners

Examples of star in a Sentence

The new television series stars a famous movie actress.
a concert starring some of the biggest names in the business
He starred in both baseball and football when he was in college.
She starred for the basketball team last year.
This restaurant is starred in the guidebook.

Recent Examples of star from the Web

For the majority of his time inside the chamber, Beckham remained quiet, staring straight at the five-person committee that will determine if his group’s plans will advance to the next phase.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "David Beckham’s saw first-hand the mixed emotions about his proposed Miami MLS plan," 12 July 2018
At the last crescendo when the phenom had given his best performance, the audience was applauding as the young man stared at the old man in the balcony.

— loren a. yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018
Swiftly, scores of scientists began pointing their telescopes in that direction, staring at the right region of the universe in every wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum.

— author: sarah kaplan, Anchorage Daily News, "In a cosmic first, scientists detect ‘ghost particles’ from a distant galaxy," 12 July 2018
Paul was selling throwback jerseys from the trunk of his car and James was starring at nearby St. Vincent-St.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "Fit For The King: LeBron James and the Lakers Form Hollywood's Ultimate Marriage," 11 July 2018
Earlier prohibitions on making cell phone calls and text messages aimed to keep drivers’ eyes on the road, instead of staring down at small, finicky gadgets.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Driving Without a Smartphone," 10 July 2018
The National Weather Service in Tucson tweeted at 8:20 p.m., responding to curious onlookers staring at something even more photo worthy than clouds or sunsets.

— kaila white, azcentral, "No, it's not a tornado in the sky. Gustnado spotted in Tucson during dust storms!," 7 July 2018
The studio has wrapped filming on Detective Pikachu, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith.

— mia galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Gundam' Live-Action Movie in the Works at Legendary," 5 July 2018
Gene-editing technology isn’t just for movies like Rampage, which stars Dwayne Johnson blitzing a 30-foot wolf (thus leading Oliver to suggest the film should have been named Wolf Blitzer).

— melissa locker, Time, "John Oliver Turns a Microscope on CRISPR Gene Editing on Last Week Tonight," 2 July 2018

First Known Use of star

1592

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star

adjective

Definition of star

1 : of, relating to, or being a star

received star billing

2 : of outstanding excellence : preeminent

a star athlete

Examples of star in a Sentence

looking for star actors to play the leads

Recent Examples of star from the Web

The season kicked off with their star role in uncle Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "Did Princess Charlotte Tell Off Photographers at Prince Louis' Christening?," 12 July 2018
The model walked barefoot with a black bikini top and floral wrap skirt while her pop star beau wore a white tank, black Adidas shorts, and white slippers.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Hailey Baldwin, Justin Bieber, and His New Mustache Had a Beach Date Ahead of July Fourth," 5 July 2018
Svechnikov is expected to go second overall to the Carolina Hurricanes and has star potential.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "The NHL Draft is in town. Here are 5 names to know and when the Stars pick," 21 June 2018
Also, Heimlich and UW shortstop Levi Jordan were star teammates on Puyallup High's unbeaten Washington 4A state champions in 2014.

— ron richmond for the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Oregon State baseball brings recent College World Series experience into opener against North Carolina," 12 June 2018
Gerard Piqué, the team’s star center-forward, tells me.

— vivienne walt, Fortune, "Inside FC Barcelona's Global Football Empire," 21 Mar. 2018
He was picked to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Washington but was replaced, because he is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Tigers on the final day before the all-star break.

— stephen ruiz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Justin Verlander, Kate Upton expect first child," 14 July 2018
The Freedom enter the all-star break at 25-25, 3.5 games out of first place in the West Division and 1.5 out of a wild-card spot.

— Cincinnati.com, "Freedom players head to all-star game," 10 July 2018
The all-star small forward would have been a great free-agent addition for the Sixers.

— keith pompey, Philly.com, "Sixers target Paul George to re-sign with Thunder, spurn Lakers in NBA free agency," 30 June 2018

First Known Use of star

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

star Synonyms

Synonyms

big-name, celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, visible, well-known;

Antonyms

anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unfamous, unknown, unsung;

Near Antonyms

insignificant, unimportant;

inconspicuous;

undistinguished, unexceptional;

unpopular;

Related Words

fabled, fabulous, legendary;

infamous;

distinguished, eminent, exceptional, great, illustrious, leading, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, remarkable, supereminent, superior;

important, significant;

acknowledged, recognized, respected;

favorite, popular, preferred;

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

star

noun

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: any one of the objects in space that are made of burning gas and that look like points of light in the night sky
: a star or planet especially in a certain position that is believed in astrology to influence people's lives
: something (such as a symbol or medal) with five or more points that represents or suggests a star

star

verb

Definition of star for English Language Learners

: to play the most important role in a movie, play, etc.
: to have (someone) as the most important performer
: to perform extremely well

STAR Defined for Kids

star

noun \ ˈstär \

Definition of star for Students

1 : any of the heavenly bodies except planets which are visible at night and look like fixed points of light

2 : a figure or object with five or more points that represents or suggests a star in the sky

3 : a very talented or popular performer

a movie star

4 : a planet that is believed in astrology to influence someone's life

She was born under a lucky star.

5 : the principal member of a theater or opera company

star

verb

Definition of star for Students

starred; starring

1 : to mark with a star or an asterisk as being special or very good

2 : to present in the role of a star

The show stars my favorite actor.

3 : to play the most important role

She will star in a new play.

4 : to perform in an outstanding manner She starred in soccer this season.

star

adjective

Definition of star for Students

1 : being favored or very popular

the teacher's star pupil

a star athlete

2 : being of outstanding excellence

a star chef

Learn More about star

See words that rhyme with star Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for star Spanish Central: Translation of star Nglish: Translation of star for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of star for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about star

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star

Definition of star

starless

starlike

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

Origin and Etymology of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Astronomy Terms

star

Definition of star

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

First Known Use of star

star

Definition of star

Examples of star in a Sentence

Recent Examples of star from the Web

First Known Use of star

star Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

STAR Defined for English Language Learners

star

Definition of star for English Language Learners

star

Definition of star for English Language Learners

STAR Defined for Kids

star

Definition of star for Students

star

Definition of star for Students

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Definition of star for Students

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